It had to do with the suffrage movement and women getting the vote. If you are interested in the issue, I highly recommend an HBO movie called "Iron Jawed Angels". It is a wonderful, accurate portrayal of the movement. You may be able to rent it at a movie store since I'm not sure HBO is going to run it anytime soon. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338139/dvd

In the meantime:

In 1869, Wyoming Territory became the first U.S. possession to grant American women the right to vote. By 1890, the National Women's Suffrage Association had established headquarters in New York City. Led by activist Carrie Chapman Catt, the group worked for ratification of a Constitutional amendment that would guarantee suffrage for women nationwide. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, western territories and states increasingly gave women the vote; by 1916, women controlled one fourth of the votes necessary to elect Woodrow Wilson president. A national suffrage amendment was first brought before Congress in 1915, but was voted down by the House. The bill finally passed on June 4, 1919, after President Woodrow Wilson made a personal appeal. In the summer of 1920, Tennessee voted "yes" for the amendment, providing the final state vote necessary for ratification.
Source(s):
http://www.woodrowwilson.org/topics/topics_show.htm?doc_id=398822
http://www.hbo.com/films/ironjawedangels/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338139/dvd


Permalink | Report